Robin Jeong

I remember growing up in a small town in Massachusetts, less than 15,000 people. It was on the border between rural and suburban, that kind of small. In the yearbook there were only two Asians, me and my brother. I don’t remember being aware that I was different at all when I was younger and as a result I remember being very outgoing and talking to everyone the same way. Growing up, I gradually began to realize that I was different, and I feel like I can’t talk to everyone the same way anymore. That makes me sad. Unlike most Koreans, I don’t feel very connected to my Korean culture because I don’t really speak Korean. Actually, Korean was my first language but my English was so bad growing up that my dad decided that I needed to just speak English in order to live here and succeed. I remember him sitting me down and telling me to call him “dad” instead of “appa”. It’s interesting; I don’t feel like I connect to either Korean or American culture, like I don’t belong to either.

I don’t feel like I connect to either Korean or American culture, like I don’t belong to either. 